
Fully Funded Scholarships in the UK 2026: Chevening, Gates Cambridge & More
Written by Zain Aqdas, Founder and lead researcher, Scholarships AtlasPublished 15 August 2026
The UK funds some of the world's best-known fully funded scholarships. Chevening Scholarships, funded by the UK Foreign Office, cover tuition, living costs and flights for a one-year master's degree, and they are open to applicants from more than 160 countries.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship fully funds graduate study at the University of Cambridge, while the Rhodes Scholarship supports postgraduate study at Oxford. For students from Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships cover master's study at UK universities, and the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships fund doctoral research.
Universities also fund their own students: Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and others offer fully funded graduate scholarships and research studentships. Many of these are competitive but draw far fewer applications than the big-name programmes.
Eligibility varies widely. Chevening requires leadership potential and a return to your home country, while university awards often depend on academic merit alone. Filter by nationality and study level on each listing to find the UK scholarships you actually qualify for, and apply well before the deadline.
Zain Aqdas
Founder and lead researcher, Scholarships Atlas
Zain Aqdas founded Scholarships Atlas and built its catalogue from official university, government and agency sources. He writes the guides on this site and checks funding details against each programme's published materials before they go out.